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Tori growls, “Come on, Valen! He’s a human.”
My jaw drops. “The fuck? What does that have to do with anything?”
Tori waves her arm towards me. “Out of the two of you, Lucas is way more likely to die.”
The tension in Valen breaks, and I feel none of the relief when he laughs. His frame goes languid, his tone returning to his normal drawl. “I apologize. I was misinterpreting your words. You are correct. He is easier to kill.”
I scowl. “I’ve survived way more than both of you combined, and yes—” I point a menacing finger at Tori when her lips part to argue “—I am including your various curses. Stop talking about me like I’m a fucking house fly. The arrogance of you weavers. It’s like you purposefully forget that you are humans, too.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Both weavers snap their glowing eyes on me, and I step back when they start yelling.
“We are an entirely different species with distinctive lifespans and capabilities that your kind could never dream of achieving even with your magic thieving trinkets,” Valen snarls.
“Out of all the idiotic things you’ve said over the years, this has to be the most idiotic. It’s this, then closely followed by the time you asked if Jinx uses a litterbox.” Astoria’s voice nearly drowns out Valen’s.
I hold up my hands again. “I’m just saying. Your souls have a thread in it. The rest is all the same, right? Like, physically?”
They both point to their eyes, and I roll mine. “That doesn’t count.”
The rest of their arguments are drowned out. My ears ring as they talk over each other, the sound echoing in the marble. When they finally settle down, Valen crosses his arms and growls while glaring at me, “You may rest peacefully within Jinx. I’ll ensure our martyring human doesn’t do something idiotic and die.”
Tori glares at me too. “Great. I appreciate your sacrifice.”
I exhale harshly. At least they’re no longer mad at each other. I’ll take that win.
CHAPTER 16
THE WEAVE
ASTORIA
The mirror’s surface fades away until there’s nothing but the Weave beyond. Jinx’s cocoon closes around me and I’m enveloped in her soft embrace. I curl into it, my knees coming to my chest. My heart aches.
Do not cry, Tori.
I sniffle regardless, my tears slipping past my lashes. “I can’t help it. My heart hurts so much.”
I know, child. Come. Sleep again. It will ease your pain. I promise.
The warmth and familiar scent of Jinx’s kitty fur fill my aching chest. I relax, but my mind does not permit me to rest.
“Valen will never forgive me for not telling him immediately. I’ve hurt him too deeply this time.”
The boy lives and breathes to yearn for you. He will forgive because he has no choice but to.
“Somehow that’s not as comforting as you think it is.”
Mortals are not complex creatures. Your lives are so short. Give him time and the pain of his grief will ease. And if not, then all the better for me.
I snort, my tight lips softening in a smile. “Why do you hate him?”
Hate is a simple human emotion. What I feel for the Bauer line is a scorn that is as deep as the Weave itself. They were among the founders of the Order. Their forefathers’ sins will never be forgotten. But I tolerate this Bauer for you. That is how deeply I love your line.
The soft rumbling of Jinx’s purr fills my existence. My eyes close as I fall into its healing vibration. “I’m scared for them, Jinx. I don’t know if I can stay here with you and sleep knowing they’re in danger. Do you think we can use the mirrors or something else reflective to watch over them?”
Every portal made between the physical world and this place runs the risk of attracting other demons hungry for fresh souls. It is safer for us if you don’t.
Memories of that slug creature have me shuddering. I could live a very long, happy life never seeing one of those again. “When I was sleeping before, I kept seeing flashes of Lucas. Were those dreams, or…?”
